Love in the Time of a Highland Laird (A Laird for All Time Book 3) by Angeline Fortin (whitelam books .TXT) 📗

maintain it for almost a minute, which might not sound like a lot but was a pretty amazing accomplishment. After that it was a matter of being able to identify properties of the wormholes providing us information regarding its end point, harnessing those that might suit our needs, and using a massive electrical charge to steer the destination more exactly.”

She could sense the wealth of questions spinning through his mind, but it was the greatest and perhaps worst that he gave voice to.

“For what purpose?”

She grimaced. “There were many applications for the technology but specifically our ultimate goal was to transport goods or troops seamlessly from one spot on the planet. Travel through three dimensions.”

“But ye pierced the fourth?”

“Yes. By accident.”

Keir was silent for a long while, perhaps processing all she had told him. Or trying to make sense of it. At last he spoke, looking not at her but up at the blue sky. “Some of the greatest advances in science hae been made by accident. Most accidents e’en for a prupose. I suppose I can forgi’ yers since traveling through time maun be the grandest feat I can imagine.”

“It would be better if we could control it,” she pointed out.

“Aye, there is that.” He considered her with a smile. “Tell me more aboot how ye found this quantum foam if it is so wee. And what is this negative energy?”

With a laugh, she shook her head. “No, it’s my turn now. I want you to tell me how you met Leonhard Euler. And who else do you know?”

So, he told her about his studies throughout the Continent. Who he knew. Who he’d studied with. Enjoying the way her eyes would light with excitement when he mentioned names she was familiar with like Mitchell, Newton, and Hershel.

Never before had he met a woman interested in his scientific pursuits. Most ladies were lulled into boredom when he would talk of his experiments. Al soaked it all up, hanging on his every word much as he hung on hers. For hours, they talked of science, its changes and progression from his time to hers. Mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology. All of it until his mind was nearly exploding with the potential of what he might learn.

From a wee lass.

A brilliant wee lass.

Chapter 12

“I see ye’ve managed tae be entirely taken in by the wee witchy, hae ye?”

Al looked up to find Maeve hovering over them like a dark wraith. She was dressed much as she’d been the previous day but this time most of the dress itself was made from the tartan. A stark contrast to her elegantly gowned sister who stood by her side. With them as well were Keir’s brother Oran and another somberly dressed man she didn’t recognize.

The additional trio didn’t speak out in agreement of Maeve’s words. However, none of them appeared ready to argue with her either.

After such an enjoyable morning, the shiver of apprehension chilling her was unwelcome.

“I told ye all, Allorah had naught to do wi’ Hugh’s disappearance.” A lie much like the one he had told Ceana the night before. Even after hearing her explanation, it seemed he didn’t trust any of them to accept it with the same aplomb.

Maeve spat as she had in the library the previous day and launched into another tirade in Gaelic. This one directed more at Keir than at Al.

“English, Maeve,” he warned calmly. “Lest ye be thrown tae the Butcher like so many others.”

“Bah!” Maeve spat again. “Cumberland will hae his comeuppance. As will she.”

Al managed to refrain from flinching when Maeve stabbed a finger in her direction, but only just. Out of all the strange and awful things that had happened to her this week, Maeve’s uneven temper scared her the most.

Her diatribe continued. “When Robert returns, I will hae him cut her to ribbons for what she did to my brother.”

“She did nothing.”

“She’s cast a spell o’er ye! But then ye’ve always been easily swayed by women, hae ye nae?” she continued, pausing to give Al the stink eye. “She killed my brother! She deserves to be locked up in the dungeon until she dies as he did.”

Again there was no disagreement from the other three. Al wondered if she should be worried over the popular opinion of the group. Though it seemed Keir was the authority figure here.

He retained his composure well. “Maeve, ye’ve been in the western isles too long. Despite what some think,” he threw Al a glance laced with amusement, “we are not savages here. We dinnae lock anyone up and throw away the key any longer.”

“Nay, we just surrender tae the Sassenachs wi’oot much of a fight at all. We lay down our guns and e’en our language for those who would rule us.”

“Shush now,” the second man bit out. “Keir is right aboot one thing. Cumberland’s men could be anywhere. Talk like that will get ye sent tae the tolbooth or worse.”

“I’m nae afraid of Cumberland!”

“Ye should be,” Keir snapped, losing both his humor and his patience. “’Tis murder he’s aboot. Nae justice. Look what they did tae Frang.”

Everyone fell silent, leaving Al to wonder who this Frang was and what had been done to him. She might ask now, but Maeve’s zealous insistence on her imprisonment deterred her from speaking.

He sighed. “Mayhap ‘twould be best if ye made yer way home and yer husband meets ye there.”

“I’m nae leaving until I ken what happened tae Hugh!”

“We hae as much to explain Father’s disappearance as we do Hugh’s,” he pointed out. “Yet I see none of ye pointing fingers and casting accusation o’er him.”

“Aye, but Father has e’er been one tae act rashly,” Oran said.

“He has a point,” Ceana chimed in. “Hugh was never one to give into folly.”

“Yet he did,” Keir countered, rising to his feet to face them all. “He gave into imprudence the moment he loosed his sword and charged intae the enemy wi’oot a second thought. If he had nae